René Daumal (1908-1944) was a poet and essayist.
Interested in literature from a young age, he had a seminal experience using the drug Carbon Tetrachloride, which – although it damaged his health - opened up the new vistas of consciousness for him, greatly influencing his work. A student of ‘Alain’ (Émile-Auguste Chartier), he became interested in Sanskrit and the sacred texts of India, a subject he worked on with Simone Weil. He also created a review called “Le Grand Jeu” (The Big Game) with Roger-Gilbert Lecomte and Pierre Minet.
He then started to frequent Alexandre de Salzmann and became involved and initiated into a Gurdjieff group, which included the dancer Uday Shankar, for whom he started working as a press officer. He struggled with both financial and physical difficulties throughout his career.
His works include “La Grande Beuverie (A Night of Serious Drinking), “Le Contre-Ciel” (The Counter-Heaven), “La Guerre Sainte” (The Holy War) and “Le Mont Analogue” (Mount Analogue).
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